Thursday, May 20, 2010

Class with Romel @ Palette and Chisel

O.K...I told myself I would drive into Chicago early...get a parking spot close by and not be hurried and over anxious. I got there an hour and a half early! Then people started showing up...and a model came (which I thought this would possibly be still life?!!@#%) and she posed and everyone started painting. I was perplexed as Romel hadn't shown up yet and I was feeling a little lost. I started drawing the model on canvas. I thought I would just do her head to keep it simple..lol!!! Everyone there as I said is so good I can't believe they are taking classes...so I am as always intimidated...and I told myself I wouldn't get nervous...because when I'm nervous I just can't function at all. I got nervous...anyway Romel showed up 30minuets later and I begged for some direction as I wasn't even sure of what I was doing...(like I've never painted before!#$^&**) Talk about a mouse of a person and insecure...I have learned more about myself taking these classes then I have in a long time. When I left that night my painting looked so bad the next day I tried to remember seeing her and tried to fix it up. One thing I've learned is that not all canvas is created equally. The canvas I had kept repelling the paint..it took getting several layers on before it went down the way I wanted it to. Yes, it was primed...

The next class...same routine...model came and we did the same pose which was good for damage control...and Romel showed up 30 minuets late again. I think he must be coming from work . Once again I begged for help...and I feel like he thinks I am a total idiot. He did help me with the lightest highlights...apparently I'm not bold enough..and told me to soften my edges which I know I need to do but I need someone with a stick standing behind me reminding me to break my bad habits..yes...I hear you...we are not children anymore and we need to do these things on our own! Yes, I'm working on that.

This Monday is my last class as I have to fly to Denver for a week.I'm going up to our cabin in the mountains around Taos and spread my parents ashes around the cabin. The fun part of this trip will be going to the Boulder Fest in Boulder and spending time with two brothers and my sister in law.

Back to this class...I sometimes wonder why we pay to go paint somewhere with other people and get maybe 20 minuets worth of instruction. The 20 minuets is also questionable and your paying 1-$200.00+. Maybe it's me...because I'm so serious about it that I want a lot of direction on what I'm doing wrong...and I know it's wrong...but can't quite figure it out, and I'm feeling like nothing is being said. I get frustrated...I need to en joy the process and remember it's not life or death!